9 useful tips on caring for your congested baby

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When your baby gets sick and congested we as moms or should I say as parents feel absolutely helpless. We want to try everything to make them feel better and to comfort them because having a congested baby is not fun at all. The fact that babies cannot take any kind of medicine makes it worse because we know as adults that medicine makes us feel much better when we’re sick. Thankfully there are other great alternatives to making your congested baby feel better.

When I was a first time mom, I would literally call my sisters, parents and even aunts to come help me with my baby girl who was sick and congested. I didn’t know what to do and felt that my family did. Well, my mom and aunts who are experienced moms, definitely helped me a lot. But I remember a specific event that I went through with my first daughter, my hubby was working and so I was home with my baby who was very congested. She had a lot of mucus and had a hard time breathing, so I called her pediatrician who gave me some helpful instructions on how to care for her. Well, she was still very much congested and so I called my little sister to come over (I lived a block away from my parents house) and help me. We were trying to use the nose sucker to remove the mucus to help my baby breathe better. All of a sudden my baby was trying to cough and she threw up a tremendous amount of mucus from her mouth all over my sister’s shirt (haha!). We were so relieved that my daughter felt so much better after that!

Of course once you are a second time mom, you will feel more confident in knowing what to do with your congested baby, I know I did. That’s why I’m sharing with you 9 useful tips on caring for your congested baby. In the hopes that you can find these tips and tricks helpful and will make your baby feel better.

9 useful tips on caring for your congested baby

Menthol

I honestly swear by menthol when I’m sick and when my kids are sick or not feeling well. The smell is just relaxing and calming and I believe it helps. What I would do for my babies when they were congested was rub it on their chest. I would also rub it on their backs, this helps them breath better. One extra thing I would do was, rub the menthol on the edge of their crib or around their bed where their head was. I believe that the smell helps clear their congested nasal.

Keep their head elevated

This trick I learned from my wonderful aunt who also helped take care of my twins while I recovered from my C-section and traumatic birth. She was amazing and she showed me that keeping a baby’s head elevated while they are congested helps them breath better and not have a stuffy nose. What we did was place one of my pillow’s on my babies crib and then they would sleep on top of it, from their chest up it would be elevated. My kid’s nose would not get as stuffy as if they were laying flat on their stomachs. I only did this when they were napping because I would check on them constantly.

Quick tip:

If it’s possible make sure your baby is sleeping facing up so they can sleep better and not force their breathing. Sleeping facing up also helps their nose be less stuffy.

Nose sucker

Having a nose sucker around is very helpful because it basically sucks all of the mucus out of your baby’s nose. I know it sounds disgusting but trust me, when your baby is crying in discomfort, this will be a life saver to you. Baby’s at this point cannot blow their noses, therefor mucus is stuck in their nose which makes it harder for them to breath. We have to somehow get rid of all that mucus that the baby develops when they are congested and sick.

Quick tip:

Baby’s mucus may harden around their nose, so you can quickly remove it by using a cotton swab. Just lightly wet it and gently move it around your baby’s nose until you remove the dried mucus.

Humidifier

A humidifier is a great baby item to have in their room or yours if your baby is sleeping in your room, specially when they are congested. Having a humidifier helps clear the air and adds humidity which will help your baby breath better by clearing his/her stuffy nose.

Quick tip:

Make sure you are constantly cleaning your humidifier because it can get molds.

Comfortable clothing

It’s a good idea to dress your baby in comfortable clothing because this will make them less irritable. I would always have my babies in onesies and would make sure they weren’t too hot or too cold in them.

Soothing vapor baby wash

This body wash was everything when my kids were congested. I would take them a bath with this soothing vapor baby wash that smelled like lavender right before I would put them to nap and I loved it. It really comforts and soothes baby, It’s amazing and I truly recommend you buying it. A nice warm bath will always make your baby feel relaxed.

Keep hydrated

Make sure your baby is drinking a lot of fluids like water or milk to help their immune system. When your baby is congested they will most likely not want to eat or drink their milk, so just be patient and know that keeping your baby hydrated is very important.

Nebulizer machine

A nebulizer machine is a machine that is used to deliver asthma medication to the lungs (via.WebMD). Your baby’s doctor may prescribe this machine even if your baby does not have asthma because it’s a fast working method that relieve nasal congestion. All three of my kids do not have asthma but when they were babies, their pediatric recommended the use of a nebulizer to help them breath better while they were congested. It works and I still have the machine in my house. The nebulizer is usually provided by your baby’s doctor along with prescribed “medicine” which comes in a liquid form that you have to pour inside the machine so it can start to release the medication.

Quick note:

You can ask your baby’s pediatrician for more information about the nebulizer and if your baby needs to have one. Again, follow the instructions that is given by the pediatrician about the dosage of the medication.

Cuddles

Nothing is better than to cuddle up with your baby when he or she is sick. They will want you to carry them more than usual and you know what? It’s okay, hug them and cuddle with them because it will make them feel so much better. They will know that their mommy or daddy is protecting and caring for them. Spoil your baby with lots of hugs and kisses!

There you have it mama, simple tips and tricks that will help your congested baby feel much better and let me know if you have more tips and tricks to add to this list 🙂

*Please always consult your baby’s pediatrician if you have any questions or concerns. Also, do not give your baby cold/flu over the counter medicine of any kind, unless you have consulted with your baby’s doctor and they have given you the green light to do so*

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These are such great tips! I am super lucky and my kids almost never get sick, but one thing that helps them a lot is sitting in a steam-filled bathroom with the hot shower running. I’ll have to remember some of these other tips, too!Chelsea @ Life With My Littles recently posted…Give Them Tomorrow

I remember when our first daughter got so congested, we were worried she would not be able to breath. We did not know what to do. We called my mother and she suggested something my grandmother used to do: peel an onion (or shallot) and leave this in the crib and surely, this did magic. We just discovered a modern version of this: Slumber Belly. A bunny that holds a pouch inside its belly, which releases eucalyptus. This decongests the baby all naturally too. So for those parents who don’t want to leave shallots or onions in the baby’s room, try Slumber Belly.

Hey Ros Emely,
Thank you for these tips, really helpful! You published an awesome post. I love this post and I need to buy a humidifier for my kid. Please tell me, how to buy the best humidifier for my baby? What to check when I will buy a humidifier? I hope you would help me.
Thank you for sharing this post.

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